Friday, March 06, 2015

wikipedia |Kosher foodsare those that conform to the regulations ofkashrut(Jewishdietary law). Food that may be consumed according tohalakha(Jewish law) is termedkosherin English, from theAshkenazipronunciation of theHebrewtermkashér(כָּשֵׁר), meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption). Food that is not in accordance with Jewish law is calledtreif(Yiddish:טרײףortreyf, derived from Hebrewטְרֵפָהtrāfáh) meaning "torn."

A list of some kosher foods are found in the books ofLeviticus11:1-47 andDeuteronomy14: 3-20, as are also certain kosher rules. Reasons for food not being kosher include the presence of ingredients derived from nonkosher animals or from kosher animals that were notslaughteredin a ritually proper manner, a mixture ofmeatandmilk,wineandgrape juice(or their derivatives) produced without supervision, the use of produce from Israel that has not beentithed, or the use of non-kosher cooking utensils and machinery. Every law ofkashrut, according to all Rabbinic authorities of the ages in a rare agreement, makes the assertion that the laws can be broken when human life is at stake. Among the dozens of sources for the laws ofpikuach nefesh(the Jewish term for saving any life) are the multiple discussions in the Talmud, for instance B. Yoma 83a, "We have agreed in the case of saving a soul he may be given [by a doctor in this case] to eat even unclean things, until his eyes are lightened from death".